RAM question

Post by **matsif** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:50 pm

hypothetically, if I wanted 4gb, would I be better off buying a set of 2x2gb dual channel sticks or 2 2x1gb sets?

also, if the 2x2gb is better, is it worth getting them if they have a worse timing(say 5-5-5-15 instead of 4-4-4-12 on the other set)?

Post by **madcow** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:09 pm

I would go for the 2.2GB simply because then you aren't using up all of your slots and can upgrade in the future.

I'm sure you would not notice a difference in performance between those 2 timings. Which is cheaper?

Post by **matsif** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:14 pm

about the same, $0.01 off. this is mostly just research for my next comp. build.

Post by **.Sup** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:14 pm

You have vista or xp? xp supports 3 gig max vista 8. Here in europe i havent seen 2 gb stick. But if in USA a 2 gb stick exsist i still wouldnt buy it. I would buy 4x1gb cos you can use them in 2x dual channel. More stcks biger possibility that 1 of them will die. But there is warranty especially if your gonna but the ones with lower latency which you can use to OC your proc. Those usually have longer warranty. So buy better rams (with lower latency) if you are gonna overclock (recommended for C2D).

Post by **matsif** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:23 pm

SUPR3 wrote:You have vista or xp?

gonna be getting vista x64 at whatever service pack they have when I build the machine, which won't be until next summer at the earliest.

SUPR3 wrote:So buy better rams (with lower latency) if you are gonna overclock (recommended for C2D).

haven't overclocked anything ever, and don't know how to do it.

MasterOhh · Post by **MasterOhh** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:45 pm

Normal users will notice no difference in the performance when using different timings. More important might be the clocking of your RAM. But even there is the impact on your systems overall performance minimal.

Are you using CAD tools, or other programs that work with high level mathematic funktions like finite element methods or similar stuff?
Otherwise there would be no need for you using a 64bit system and more than 2 GB RAM.

Post by **Von_Krieg** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 2:10 pm

Make sure that the timings are the same.

SSnake_Plissken · Post by **SSnake_Plissken** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:07 pm

I read that some newer motherboards/chipsets require the 64-bit version of XP/Vista.

You might want to consider getting the newer boards and DDR3 memory, it might be worth it, i.e. cheaper, by then especially if your building it next summer.

Total_focus_haz · Post by **Total_focus_haz** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:54 pm

certain versions off vista only support 4 gb though, you gotta be careful with that as well

DaRkAcE · Post by **DaRkAcE** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:58 pm

Only the 64bit Vista can support more than 3.25gb of ram. All the others will only read 3.25gb of ram.

Post by **madcow** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:01 pm

DDR3 is waaaay too expensive at the moment.

Post by **matsif** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:30 pm

madcow wrote:DDR3 is waaaay too expensive at the moment.

yea...was looking at it and for the number of mobo's that support it (uhh...5?), spending $1k per 2gb isn't worth it. thats twice as much as the better of the Core 2 Quad's out currently.

Post by **madcow** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:31 pm

matsif wrote:thats twice as much as the better of the Core 2 Quad's out currently.

Also, I wouldn't bother with one of them. The E6850 is the best to go for of the current stock.

PinkAss · Post by **PinkAss** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:12 pm

E6850 is great but the best price/performance/oc atm is E6750

SSnake_Plissken · Post by **SSnake_Plissken** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:21 pm

yeah but if your building your PC next year, DDR3 will be much cheaper. And build you PC for the future, not for today (or whenever you build it). Anything built for now will be old tech too soon.

When shopping around for parts, think about when you'll be making the purchases, next summer is a long time away in the tech world. Any research you do, or wish list you make now will likely change by the time you buy. What cost a lot now, will be much cheaper in a year...